Air Niugini maintenance work on two aircraft first at home

WORK on two of Air Niugini’s jet aircraft is nearing completion –the first maintenance checks to be done in the country. The work involves heavy maintenance checks on the aircraft at the airline’s engineering hangar in Port Moresby. The first of the checks is on a Fokker 70 aircraft which started service in July this year. It is expected to be completed next month. The other is being done on a Fokker 100 aircraft which expected to be completed by the end of November. Air Niugini’s Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer in charge of heavy maintenance Richard Woolcock said the team involved in the project appreciated the trust and confidence placed on them. “It has taken a great leap of faith to move from proven maintenance providers to a novice team of mostly national engineers with the understanding that we will provide the same standard, if not better product at the end of the work,” Woolcock said. “The staff are hard-working, keen and have great engineering skills and knowledge. “They are prepared to tackle any job given to them – from wiring up to the latest Wi-IFE system, to removing the cabin, galley and toilets in the aircraft.” Air Niugini acting chief executive officer Tahawar Durrani said another two Fokker aircraft would be worked on this year.